Unchained Melody
by Shlesha
Summary: The birds sing when she cries - Sarah is the daughter of a woman who changed her identity. Hermione changed her name because she could not allow the wizarding world - especially Ron to find her. Ron doesn't know that he has a daughter, and Hermione is not intending on ever telling him. What happens when Ron sees his daughter, and meets Hermione after five years? SLIGHTLY AU.
1. Chapter 1

At times she wished that she and Ron had never broken up. It pained her to remember those memories; those moments where she truly felt happy. His arms would wrap around her, embracing her in the most pleasing way. He would whisper a future full of promises, and she would _believe_ him. As they embraced, his hands would caress her brown tresses lovingly.

Yes, she missed those days, when everything felt like it would last forever. Maybe she had been stupid to believe in forever, but the times when she was with Ron, she believed in eternity every second of the day.

Even though the Great War ended and everything felt peaceful compared to the barbaric conditions of the Wizarding World before the war, Hermione and Ron were unable to stay together. It just didn't happen. They had their differences, and they had to separate.

She was invited to the Burrow today, to celebrate George and Angelina's engagement. It wasn't going to be a big deal – just family and a few friends, but she couldn't help but swallow up a bolus of fear. Ron would be there and she wished that she could stay home, but she couldn't. Molly would be expecting her! And so would Harry and Ginny. She couldn't disappoint them.

Hermione made her way to the mirror and sighed, her eyes staring soullessly at the figure in the mirror who was staring right back.

She hadn't seen him in eight months. He'd gone off to Auror training with Harry, and they were to finish yesterday. The training was one of the reasons for their breakup. The other reason was Hermione's decision to go back to school.

_FLASHBACK_

_She held his hand and laid her head on his lap, breathing deeply. "But Ron, don't you think you should go back to school? After all, you did miss seventh year." _

_He shook his head defiantly. "No way Hermione! The Ministry's offering us Auror training right away without finishing school. You got an offer too! You know what I'm talking about. So why would I waste a year going back? I have nothing against you going back , but I'm not going to waste my time." _

_Hermione got up and glared at him. _

"_Fine, waste your education. You couldn't even pass Hogwarts," she said dryly, mocking him. _

"_That was mean," he snapped back. _

"_Good," she said, "It's what you would be. A Hogwarts dropout." _

_Then she removed her hand from his and got up off his lap. _

"_I don't know who you think you are Hermione," Ron snarled._

_She glared at him. It was obvious who she was. She was his sodding girlfriend! And if he didn't like it, nobody was forcing him to stay with her. _

"_I was only talking about your best interests," she said, in her defense. _

"_My best interest is not to go back to school. It's to become an Auror Hermione!" Ron argued. _

_Why couldn't Ron see her point of view? Why didn't he understand? _

"_Ron, you could do that after your seventh year!" _

_Ron got up, angry. _

"_You know what Hermione, I hate this constant nagging from you after I've made my decision. The decision is final, and I'm not going to change it. It's your own problem if you don't like it. But, I hate how you're sticking your nose in my decisions like this. It's my own choice, leave it!" _

"_If you hate it, why are you still here Ron? Why are you still with me? Who told you to stay!" she yelled, tears forming on the outer corners of her eyes. _

"_Good point," he simply said, then turned around. "I guess we aren't compatible then. It isn't meant to be."_

_She wasn't sure if it was just her or his voice was quivering. _

"_Are you – are you breaking up with me?" she whispered, her eyes taken over by tears. _

_She heard Ron sigh. _

"_Y – yes," he said, his voice still quivering. _

_She heard the words right in her heart. Her world felt like it came crumbling down at that moment. _

"_Ron," she whispered. _

_His back was turned to her, and before anyone said one more word, he turned and walked away, out of the room. _

That was the last she'd heard or seen of him. And she missed him so much that it hurt. She was certain that he missed her too, because she had faith that his feelings were true and pure. She had dragged the matter for no reason. When he told her to stop, she didn't. He got angry. And she got angry. She was the one who provoked him to break up when it came down to it.

She wore a sleeveless black v-neck dress that reached the middle of her thighs and left her apartment to apparate to the Burrow.

Outside the burrow, she felt her heart beating frantically and her palms getting sweaty. She slowly knocked on the door, shutting her eyes tightly begging for it to not be Ron who opened the door. _Anyone but Ron_, she thought to herself.

To her luck, it was Mrs. Weasley. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief when Molly engulfed her in a tight hug. "Hermione dear, welcome!" she said, smiling. "Everyone's here already, we were waiting for you!"

Hermione genuinely smiled at Molly. "Thank you Molly," she said courteously.

She stepped inside the place that felt so much like home and followed the mother of seven children into the kitchen where everyone was seated. She saw Ron staring straight at her. She tore her gaze away, because it felt painful to look at him. There was a blonde girl sitting next to him. And on the other side of him was Harry, his Auror companion. Beside Harry sat Ginny, his girlfriend. Hermione felt jealous sometimes, seeing them together. After all, they had been in the same situation she and Ron had been in, and those two made it through.

Hermione took her seat next to Ginny. George and Angelina were on the other side of the table, looking in love and truly happy. Hermione felt happy for them, but her thoughts were too busy focusing on Ron.

"Hermione dear," Molly said, sitting next to George. "That's Lorraine, Ron's friend."

Hermione forced a smile. "Hi," she said through gritted teeth.

Ron's new _girlfriend_, probably. She could not control the jealousy she felt at this point. She missed Ron and he already gave his heart away. Her heart ached. She just wanted Ron back. But, if he truly loved this Lorraine girl then she supposed she would try and be happy for his sake. Even if she seemed she was contradicting herself by saying it, she really did want Ron to be happy.

Once dinner was over, music started playing in the background and people came pouring in the door.

"Hurray! George is getting married!" called out Lee Jordan, bringing in a parade of people. "We have to celebrate!"

Molly looked furious, "George, you invited all these people and didn't tell me?" she asked.

George shook his head, grinning. "Nope," he said, smugly, "My true friend Lee did."

Lee nodded his head proudly.

Molly sighed. Hermione knew she was trying not to get mad during her sons engagement. "Very well. Take this to the garden. There isn't enough room in here," she told him.

Before everyone left the Burrow, Hermione looked around for Ron. He was nowhere to be seen. Nor was Lorraine for that matter. Hermione's heart beat quickly, as she made her way to Ron's room. She _had_ to find out. Until now, she had hope that they might just be friends, but she wasn't sure anymore. She needed to know if they were in his room… _together_.

She ran up the stairs, fearful of what was to come. Ron's door was nearly closed; just a tiny crack was visible. Hermione peeked through the crack and saw that they were both on his bed. Lorraine was holding Ron's hand, stroking it.

She suddenly felt nostalgic. She used to do that to Ron all the time. She could feel her eyes tear up as she watched the scene ahead of her unfold.

"I'm here for you," Lorraine said.

"I know Lor," Ron replied, "Thank you for being there."

Lorraine smiled at him. Hermione stared at the two, engrossed.

Ron leaned closer to Lorraine and Lorraine leaned closer too. Hermione instinctively dug her nails into her palm and pushed through the door.

She had tears in her eyes. Lorraine looked up at her and so did Ron, both looking shocked.

"Hermione?" Ron asked.

"You were going to kiss her?" Hermione replied, the tears falling down her cheeks.

She felt betrayed, and she knew she had no reason to. She had no _right _to. Hermione knew that she wasn't supposed to be acting like this.

She saw the hint of a smile playing at his lips. "And you find this situation funny," she added.

"I was going to fix her hair," Ron laughed.

Hermione did not find this situation funny at all. "Right," she said trying to sound indifferent but failing.

"I swear," Ron said, laughing uncontrollably.

"Um – I will just go," Lorraine said, not sounding too comfortable with the situation. She disappeared from the room.

Hermione shut the door behind her and inched closer to Ron. "You and her are together, you were about to _kiss_ her!"

Ron shook his head, looking at her in admiration. "No, Hermione, no I wasn't."

"And you find lying funny?" she snarled. "Why are you lying?"

"I'm not," he replied, getting up from the bed and walking to Hermione.

She looked into his eyes and she became convinced. The way he looked at her passed on a message. It was the same way he used to look at her eight months ago. The same look he gave her when he promised her he would always love her.

"Prove it," she whispered, suddenly wanting him closer to her.

"Because," Ron whispered back, "You're the only one for me."

Hermione moved closer to him. They were only a few centimeters apart, and she didn't mind the closeness at all. It was all too familiar, and gave her a sense of happiness. It made her feel like things might get better.

Ron took her hand and she suddenly felt calm and relaxed. She had missed this feeling so much. She wanted her hand to be held by Ron. She wanted him to be there, to have him touch her soul. He pulled her in a tight embrace and Hermione held on to him, not wanting to let go of him. She just missed him way too much.

"I miss you," she whispered, closing her eyes, not wanting to wake up from this dream.

He kissed her cheek. "I miss you too," he admitted.

Then they loosened their grip and moved their heads back to look each other in the eye. They both tilted their heads on the side and moved forward to touch lips. It was like they had rehearsed this hundreds of times.

Then, coming to her senses, Hermione staggered backwards. "No!" she yelled.

Ron looked at her confused.

"No, you left me Ron!" she yelled, "You left me and it _hurt_."

"I left you because you were nagging me. I already have a mom; I didn't need you to start too!" Ron said defensively.

"And I'm sure you wouldn't leave me this time when I nag you? Just because I only want the best for you and you can't accept that?" she snapped.

He walked towards her and she kept moving backwards, away from him. When she finally hit the wall, and Ron was nose to nose with her, did her breath catch in her throat.

"Hermione, I can't make any promises. And I'm sure you can't either. We saw how our promises turned out last time… but I'm willing to try it out again. Because I love you. I really, truly do."

She looked into his eyes, feeling deeply touched by his words. Then she leaned slightly forward and kissed him. It was a sweet kiss, passionate and lingering but not heavy.

Ron placed both of his hands on the wall on either side of her. She wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed him again, this time more passionately. He kissed her back, opening his mouth slightly to allow more heat to develop. As the kiss got more intense, Hermione's grip on Ron became tighter.

He pulled away and took her hand, leading her to the bed. They both sat on it, immersed in each other. "I love you," Hermione whispered.

"I love you too," Ron said, cupping her cheek and kissing it. "I don't ever want to be separated from you again."

"I don't want to be apart either," she said, squeezing his hand.

She lay on the bed, pulling him on top of her, kissing him again. His hands moved up her legs, under her dress and she emitted a soft moan.

"Ron," she whispered, looking up into his eyes. "Please don't stop."

And that night, both their bodies and souls became one.

_Five years later_

Hermione awoke to the sun blinding her eyes. Opening her eyes, she turned her head to see the redhead beside her. She loved this redhead very much and wouldn't be able to live without them. This was the redhead who gave her a reason to wake up every day, even if her whole world was falling apart. She kissed their forehead and ran her fingers through their hair.

"I love you Sarah," Hermione whispered, stroking her hair.

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**A/N: How did you like the chapter? Please leave a review! They're really good for motivation. I've already finished most of this fanfiction, so you have my guarantee that this will not be an abandoned fanfic! Other than that, more reviews = faster chapters! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Before I start, I would like to thank three guests, Yondaime Namikaze, and gurrumaiss for amazing reviews on the last chapter! I hope you enjoy this one as well. I hope all of you enjoy this one, and for all of you silent readers, don't forget to hit the review button this time! =D  
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Hermione was making French toast for her daughter, with the radio playing in the background.

"Mommy," Sarah said, quietly, "Miss Mullins said I'm really smart."

Hermione smiled at her daughter, "You are Sarah!" She turned off the heat and gently used the spatula to move the piece of French toast from the pan to Sarah's plate.

Hermione turned her head to look at Sarah with admiration. She had bright red hair and freckles on both her cheeks. Hermione loved her daughter so much, and felt blessed to have such a beautiful baby. Her looks came from her father, but her personality, brains, and attitude all came from Hermione.

"There's this boy mom and he's so _stupid_!" Sarah said, nibbling on her toast. "All he does is annoy people. I always have to tell him to do his work or I'll tell the teacher on him!"

Hermione laughed.

"Sarah honey, why don't you leave him alone and let the teacher deal with him?"

"Mommmmm that's no funnnn," Sarah whined. "Plus it isn't right! What if people look at him and want to be like him mommy? Then I have more people to tell on!"

Hermione laughed, "Okay dear. As you wish."

Sarah reminded Hermione of herself when she was a child.

"It's almost time for school! Finish up quickly," she told her daughter.

Sarah nodded and swallowed what was remaining of her toast and also quickly drank a glass of orange juice before getting up.

"I'm ready mommy!" she said excitedly.

Hermione laughed and took her daughters hand. She locked the door to her apartment and walked out onto the streets of Paris.

"Mommyy, ice cream!" Sarah pointed, gripping her mother's hand tightly.

Hermione shook her head. "Not now dear, after school."

Sarah nodded with a slight pout, "Okay mommy."

Hermione kissed a curly red ringlet of her daughter's hair, glad to have such an obedient daughter. She had seen some of the other children around here (spoiled and snobby). They made her so proud to have Sarah.

She and Sarah reached the school in five minutes. They walked inside and Hermione dropped her to the kindergarten class. "I'll come back later to pick you up honey," Hermione said, crouching down to her daughters level and looking her in the eye.

"Okay!" Sarah said happily, hugging her mom. "Love you mommy!"

"I love you too Sarah," Hermione said, kissing her cheek.

Then she left the kindergarten class and into the streets of Paris where a flood of people existed. So much had happened that changed her life four years ago. She woke up the morning after George and Angelina's engagement, on Ron's bed, _forcing_ herself to feel ashamed of what she had done, what she had _asked _Ron to do. Ron had been sound asleep beside her, and although she didn't feel bad at all, she believed that she was supposed to. After all, she had met him after eight months and couldn't control her own hormones!

She had snuck out of the Burrow quickly and very quietly, glad that Molly hadn't caught her. She apparated back to her own apartment and fell on her bed, crying. She refused to leave her apartment after that. Countless times, she heard Harry or Ginny knocking on her door. Even Molly knocked once, but she didn't open the door. She got many owls from everyone, asking her why she wasn't answering her door, why she was isolating herself. Ron sent her the most, asking her where she was, telling her he missed her, asking her to meet him. But, she ignored them all.

She only left her apartment about a month later, when she felt morning sickness, to see the healer. It was then that she found out that she was pregnant. She was shocked. Ron's baby was inside her. She and Ron had conceived a child that night. Her expression had been emotionless after she found out. That was when she realized that she would have to leave. For Ron's betterment and her own. She knew that if she told Ron, he'd want to marry her right away, bringing her and their child home. But, Hermione couldn't let that happen. He just started his career, and she was to start hers. But now, her career would have to be put on hold.

She contemplated her only option after that: leaving the country for good. It was true that she was going to miss Ron. And she still did to this day, but over the years, the sensation got weaker. Her feelings for him were still strong, but she gained confidence that life went on. She also knew she wasn't completely alone without him.

She decided to move to Paris after that. It was a completely out of the blue decision, but when she made it she realized that Paris was a beautiful city, and it wasn't such a bad decision. Plus, nobody she knew had much chance of visiting Paris so nobody would find her here. Upon arrival, she changed her name to Lucy Winters, to make the search for her even more difficult. She also made a very big decision: to forget magic altogether. She locked her wand away, and lived the life of a Muggle all these years.

There was one thing she was scared about though: the day when Sarah would figure out that she had extraordinary powers herself. Hermione had already noticed them. Birds started singing when her daughter cried. One day, she feared that Sarah would notice them herself and Hermione would owe her daughter an explanation. She tried not to worry about that day, but she knew that it would arrive soon. She couldn't run away from it forever.

She sighed and walked home, wondering if one day, she would ever see her first love again. It was true that she thought about him every day. It was hard not to, with a very identical copy living in the same roof as her. Sarah was as identical to her father as a child could be. She had to be strong though, she couldn't succumb to her weakness. She couldn't go back on her vow to herself. She had to stay away from Ron at all costs.

Hermione was very thankful that Sarah hadn't started questioning her father's existence yet. But, Hermione assumed that that would start soon too. After all, once she realized that her friends had fathers, she'd be wondering where her own was. And Sarah was an incredibly curious child, just like her mother was.

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**Ron**

He was in Paris with Harry for a mission. That scoundrel Rowle had fled to Paris, and he was to track him down. It was really hard due to the fact that this man was an experienced death eater. Ron roamed the crowded streets of Paris, in search of the evil wizard.

As he walked, looking left to right, disguised as a Muggle, he thought he noticed familiar bushy brown hair just ahead of him. But, he shook his head… that was impossible. He had to be imagining it because he missed her a lot. When she left him, he felt as if the world fell apart. He had a hard time waking up in the morning, not knowing if she was okay. He didn't know how he went on all these years without her, but he managed to wake up every morning and go to work, feeling a hollow cavity in the depths of his chest. Throughout the years, the level of pain and numbness decreased, but everytime he thought about her (which was very often), his heart ached just as it did when he found out she left him. And such, right now, was his condition.

He walked the streets of Paris for a few hours, and was about to return to the apartment him and Harry were sharing, when he noticed Rowle's big figure among the crowd. Without hesitation, he sprinted. Muggles looked slightly alarmed at the sight of Ron running, then laughed and turned away. When Rowle noticed Ron, he started sprinting as well. He sprinted into a school and Ron, disturbed that the school was in danger, ran much faster. He entered the school, and looked around, confused as to which way Rowle went.

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**A/N: This chapter is more of a filler chapter. But, it has most of the unanswered questions answered. The real action starts in the next one, which will be up soon! Please do review! It gives me motivation to edit and post more! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Before I begin, I would like to give a special thank you to Nerdy Fashionista, smilelino, and two guests for reviewing the last chapter! It really means a lot to me! Thank you so much! *Hands out e-cookies!*  
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**Sarah**

Sarah was on a bathroom break with her best friend Linda. The teacher allowed the pair to go to the bathroom together.

"Linda," Sarah said excitedly, "I think we're going to do colouring next!"

Linda squealed. "Colouring? Yay!"

Sarah jumped up and down energized at the thought.

Just then a big, burly man came up to them. He had dark hair and was really tall.

"Hi there pretties," he said, licking his lips.

Sarah looked at him confused.

"Thank you," she said, taking that as a compliment.

The burly man looked at the pair. "I'm supplying as the principal of the school. You –" he pointed at Linda, "–go to class. I'll take her to class. Just tell your teacher that the principal wanted to talk to Sarah."

Linda nodded and smiled at Sarah.

"Bye Sarah! I'll see you in class and we could colour together!"

Sarah nodded eagerly, "Bye Linda!"

When Linda left, the big man grabbed her arm.

"Ouch, that hurts mister!" Sarah said. He didn't loosen his grip. Instead he picked her up and fled towards the exit. Sarah, scared, yelled out at a redhead in the distance with his back turned towards them. "Help!" she screamed.

The redhead turned around instinctively and saw her. He ran towards them, almost as if he were chasing them. When the burly man exited the school with her, he slowed down, looking behind him. Sarah started to cry, missing her mommy. Why was this man taking her away from school? Was he taking her to her mommy? Or was he one of those kidnapper people that mommy was always telling her to stay away from? In the distance, the birds suddenly started to sing. Then, the redhead finally caught up to them, and pointed a wooden stick at the man.

Was this some kind of game?

"A- are we playing a game?" she asked, scared.

The redhead advanced. "Rowle," the man said, "Let the child go. This is between us. No need to bring a child into it."

The man sounded scared. Was he as scared as she was? Was he being forced to run away too?

"You let me go, I let her go, otherwise –" he fished around his pocket and found a stick, then pointed it to Sarah's cheek. "—you know what could happen."

The man looked startled and disgusted.

The person who was called Rowle tightened his grip on her and she cried more. In the background, she could hear the birds singing much more loudly. She wanted her mommy to hold her and hide her from this mean man.

"The kid's crying! Leave her Rowle!" the other man said, inching closer to Rowle.

"You let me go, I leave her," he said, smirking.

The redhead didn't think about it. He dropped his big pointy stick. What happened next was really fast. She wasn't sure whether she had actually seen it, or she just imagined it. She was nearly dropped on the ground but the redhead caught her in midair. When she turned her head to see if the big, scary man was still there, she noticed he disappeared. She wondered where he could have gone so quickly.

Facing the man who was carrying her now, Sarah watched him pick up his stick. This man was her hero, he saved her life! That big man was about to drop her and this man with red hair caught her in the nick of time! She had to tell her mommy all about this amazing man who saved Sarah's life.

Ron

"Are you okay?" he asked her.

She nodded. "Yes!" she exclaimed, sounding slightly excited. "You're my hero mister!"

"Really?" Ron asked her, his tone conveying bewilderment. "Well don't thank me little girl, it was my duty!"

When Ron looked at her, he realized that something about her seemed so familiar, but he couldn't quite place his finger on what exactly was giving him this feeling. He just felt some sort of strange connection to this girl.

"What's your name?" he asked the tiny redhead.

The girl looked at him smiling, "My name is Sarah!"

Ron grinned, happy that the girl was excited. "And your last name?"

"Winters," she replied obediently.

"Oh," Ron responded, a little disappointed. He didn't know anyone with that last name. Maybe he knew this girl's parents. "What are your parent's names?" he asked hoping something would come out this time, as he was still convinced that he knew this girl in some way or another.

"Lucy Winters," she answered.

"Your dad's?" Ron pressed further.

The little girl seemed to be startled for a moment.

"I don't know," she whispered in wonder.

"You don't?" he asked, caught by surprise.

She shook her head. "No. My mommy never mentioned my dad."

Ron was more shocked. What kind of mom wouldn't mention the kid's father to their child? That was insane!

"Alright then," he said, "Where do you live?"

She looked across the street and pointed, "That way."

He knelt down and smiled. Feeling a sudden urge to kiss her, he kissed her forehead and took her in the opposite direction. "We're heading back to school buddy," he told her. "Is school over yet?"

She grabbed his hand and looked at his watch before shaking her head, "Nope."

Ron was surprised Sarah knew how to tell time with an analogue clock. "How old are you?" he asked her.

"Four," she replied, grinning, "But I'm _almost _five."

"Wow, you can tell time," he stated the obvious.

She smiled widely, "Yes! My mom taught me a lot of things when I was young. I could multiply and divide too you know! And I read novels!"

"You're really bright," Ron told her.

She nodded, "Everyone says so! But, I think I got it from my mommy, she told me everyone used to call her really bright too!"

Her words triggered a memory in his head. He remembered how everyone used to call Hermione the brightest witch of her age. The woman he had once been in love with was certainly very bright. But, he shook away the memory, focusing on the present. There was no need to dwell on the past, when it was not going to have any effect whatsoever on his future.

"Wow, you came from a really smart family," he said.

Sarah nodded her head excitedly, "Yes Mr. Hero! I did. I don't know about anyone else but my mommy is really smart. She's my only family. It's just the two of us in our apartment."

Only the two of them? That was strange. Perhaps this girl's father was an arse and ditched them when the poor girl was just a baby. Not that she wasn't still a baby… but he meant a smaller baby.

Ron smiled at her use of the word hero. "Thank you, I feel flattered that you truly consider me a hero."

She grinned, "Well, you saved my life."

Sarah was so sweet, so tiny, and really, _really _cute. He couldn't help but feel connected to her in some way. He had only known her for fifteen minutes and he was already attached to her.

"Will we meet again?" she asked, reading Ron's mind.

Ron was baffled, she spoke the words right out of his heart, as cheesy as that sounded.

"I don't know if your teacher would like me to come and take you from school," he said playfully and touched her nose.

Sarah laughed.

"No! But, I can tell my mommy and she won't mind because you _did _save my life."

Ron really wanted to see her again, but he just wasn't sure how it would work. He was really busy with his Auror duties and he was not sure whether he was ready to meet this girl's mom. She seemed scary. Single parents were scary. If his own mom was as scary as she was, then he was sure that single mom's would be so much more protective and even stricter.

"Are you sure?" he asked her, uncertainly.

"Yes, for sure! Why don't you come to my school after school? You can see my mommy then!" she suggested, quickly formulating a plan.

This girl was really smart.

"I have to compliment your mom on her genes," he said, laughing. "I'm busy today. But, don't worry. We'll meet again."

"Promise?" the little girl asked.

Ron smiled at her. He really did think she was a smart little thing. And she really reminded him of his Hogwarts days with Hermione. She was very similar to Sarah.

"I promise," he vowed.

They reached the school and Ron dropped her inside.

"Do you want me to talk to your teacher for you?" he asked.

She shook her head, "No, I can tell her that the principal really did call me. If you come in, everyone's going to ask questions and they'll think I brought my dad in class!"

Ron chuckled, "Alright then."

He was about to leave when Sarah stopped him.

"Wait Hero!" she said.

He turned around to face her. "Yes Sarah?"

"Why were you two scaring each other with a stick?" she asked him.

He shook his head. "It wasn't a stick. It was um… something else. You're too young to know about it. Don't mention the stick to anyone Sarah, because they'll think you're crazy."

If this girl had magic in her, then she surely would understand one day. However, that was very rare; the chances of that were slim.

Sarah then hugged him tightly, and Ron smiled. The hug was a quick and affectionate one.

"Thank you Mr. Hero," she said gratefully.

And then she disappeared into her classroom.

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**A/N: I hope you liked this chapter! ^_^ What do you think? Review and let me know!:) Your reviews will make me smile and will also motivate me to post another one for you guys!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thank you all so much for reading the last chapter! I'd like to thank a few special people for reviewing! :) A-LovesHP, JuliBWeasley, Cinderella's Trickster, RaucousLaughter, Lizzie-Loves-Books-4743, Nerdy Fashionista, HeatherLeigh, Fanfic1900, alquimista, and two anonymous guests! Thank you all so much for the reviews, they really do motivate me to edit and upload another chapter of this fanfiction! Enjoy the chapter!  
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**Hermione**

Hermione unlocked the door to her apartment and entered with Sarah in tow. "Sarah," she said sternly, "Why did the principal need to talk to you?"

Sarah's teacher, Miss Mullins had told Hermione that Sarah had been out of class for a half hour, because she was speaking to the principal.

Sarah looked down at her shoes for a moment, "Well… the principal didn't need to talk to me."

Hermione looked at Sarah and raised her eyebrows. "So you skipped class with that excuse?"

Sarah shook her head. "No, mommy, listen to the story!"

Hermione picked her daughter up and took her to the kitchen where she began to prepare a snack for her.

"Go ahead, tell me," she said, still unconvinced.

Sarah then started, fiddling her fingers, and looking nervous.

"Well, there was this evil man who randomly came in my school and carried me out."

"Are you making stories up Sarah?" Hermione asked, sighing.

"No mommy! I'm not lying. I promise! There _was_ an evil man. His name was Rowle."

The moment Sarah said his name, Hermione dropped the apple she was holding. How could Sarah possible know about Rowle?

"What did he do to you Sarah?" Hermione asked, her voice barely above a whisper, both frightened and serious.

Sarah looked surprised that her mother believed her now. "He picked me up and took me away from school. Then there was this brave man mommy! He saved me! They were pointing sticks though, but when I asked, the brave man said it wasn't a stick. I don't know what it was, but mommy it was so scary!"

Stick? _Obviously_ a wand.

Sarah had come to close contact with the magical world today, which was something she wanted to avoid all this while.

Hermione wondered who the brave man Sarah was referring to was. "What was his name?" she asked. Surely it had to be an Auror.

"I don't know. I didn't ask," she told her mom. "But, he's my hero mommy! The Rowle man was pointing his stick at me and then he told the brave man that he'd let me go if the man let this big ugly Rowle go!"

Hermione felt her palms get sweaty.

"Did he hurt you?" she asked.

Sarah shook her head. "He was going to, because when the brave man put his stick down, Rowle was going to run away. He dropped me! But, the brave man caught me. It was so _inspaaring_! No _inspuhring_…"

"Inspiring," Hermione corrected, breathing a sigh of relief that her daughter was safe.

"Yeah, _inspiring_!" she said, happily. "Well the brave man caught me and he took me back to school."

Hermione hugged Sarah tightly and kissed her cheek.

Whoever this brave man was, she would need to thank him. The only thing that she was worried about was the fact that it could be an old Auror, someone she was scared that she knew. However, she held on the slight ray of hope that it was a new one, someone who had no clue she existed… which was highly unlikely, considering the whole Wizarding World knew her name and face.

She had nearly been spotted on more than one occasion in the last four years. More witches and wizards than she had been expecting went on vacation here than she thought. She had considered moving many times before, but was unable to. It was a lot of work, and Sarah had already been used to Paris.

"I'm glad he helped you," Hermione said, "I'm so happy you're okay! Are you hurt anywhere?."

Sarah shook her head. "No, the brave man didn't let me get hurt!"

Hermione smiled. "I'm so happy you're safe honey, I don't know how my life would be without you. I just know it would be horrible."

She stroked her daughter's hair, looking at her Sarah fondly.

Sarah wrapped her tiny arms around Hermione's back. "Mommy, don't say things like that. That man came to my rescue right? He's my hero; he'll always be there for me! He promised he'd meet me again, but I don't know when he'll come back for me."

Hermione closed her eyes and hugged Sarah even more tightly. She was concerned about the safety of her daughter's school now. She thought she ought to change Sarah's school. However, she doubted that Rowle would return. Hermione didn't want to take that chance though.

"Sarah, we're changing schools. Your school is very unsafe," she told her daughter.

"Mommy, _please_," she said sadly, "Nothing will happen to me, and if something does happen, then my hero will come to save me."

Hermione sighed. "Sarah, what if something happens? I won't be able to live with myself."

"Can't intruders come anywhere though?" she asked, bringing up a good point.

It was a good point, but what made it stronger was the underlying fact that it wasn't just any intruder. It was a magical being. They would be able to get anywhere, since they were much more powerful than any human was.

"Alright," Hermione said. "Fine. But, stay safe. And I'll need to talk to your teacher about sending an adult with you to the bathroom at all time. Better yet – don't even use the bathroom!"

"Mooommm," Sarah said, laughing.

Hermione smiled, "Okay, use it. But… don't go for no reason. Only when it's an absolute emergency."

Sarah smiled, "I love you mommy!"

Hermione kissed her cheek. "I love you too Sarah."

She was happy that her daughter was safe. To her, nothing mattered more than her daughter's safety.

"Mommy," Sarah then said, after a little bit of thinking. "Where is my daddy?"

Hermione was shocked. She knew that this was coming, but she hadn't expected it to come so fast and so suddenly.

"Why are you asking Sarah?" Hermione asked sternly, unsure of how she should answer her daughter.

"Because my hero asked me what my daddy's name was, and I didn't know what to say," Sarah told her mom. "Please mommy, tell me who my daddy is? Where is he? All the kids at school have daddies but I'm the only one who doesn't. Why mommy?"

"Sarah, eat your snacks," Hermione told her daughter. "You don't have a daddy. No more questions."

Sarah wondered what that meant. But, she left it. She didn't want to make her mommy mad.

**Ron**

He needed to go and see Sarah. There was something so familiar about her. It wasn't the flaming red hair or the freckles, although that was really weird too. She looked like a Weasley, but she wasn't. He was sure there were others out there with red hair and freckles, and him meeting one had to be purely coincidental. It was the eyes. Sarah's eyes looked exactly like Hermione's. They were dark brown and really resembled his first loves.

But, she wasn't related to Hermione. She couldn't be. Because her mother's name was Lucy Winters. Winters wasn't a granger. And as far as Ron knew, Hermione didn't have a sister who might have married a Winters. Hermione had been an only child. Then, what kind of sorcery was this young child, who had Hermione's eyes?

Ron shook his head, and sat on his bed. Perhaps he was overthinking. Or maybe he ought to ask Harry. But, even that might not be a good idea. Harry would just tell him to move on, Hermione wasn't coming back. Ron knew that Harry secretly missed Hermione too. It made both of them nostalgic. They both craved old times. But, Harry hid it well. He wanted Hermione to come back too; to make Ron happy. To make himself happy. Ever since Hermione disappeared, everything changed. Harry and Ginny were putting off getting married, in hopes that Hermione might show up one day. Ron knew they wouldn't wait too long since Ginny was twenty two now. In another year or two she would like to settle down with her Hogwart's sweetheart. And Harry hadn't ever looked at another girl. It was always Ginny for him.

Just like how it was always Hermione for Ron.

* * *

**A/N: So what do yo****u think? How did you find it? What do you think will happen? Thanks for reading! ^_^**


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